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The Malden City Council is expected Tuesday night to debate an ordinance that would require pit bulls in the city to wear a muzzle when outside in public.

The controversial measure was tabled a week ago, and follows a November 2010 push for a similar ordinance, led by City Councilor Neil C. Kinnon, that never reached a full council vote.

The effort follows an attack last summer on a 10-year-old boy on Lowell Street by an unneutered male pit bull that escaped its home. The dog in that case was ordered euthanized by a Malden District Court judge.

The dog had previously bitten another child three months before the August attack inside the owners' home, officials said at the time.

Kevin Alkins, Malden's animal control officer, said there are about 75 registered pit bulls in the city. "We think there might be more than that," Alkins said. "It's hard to tell."